The Model From ARTS 212
by SweetCherryColas
Summary: Sakura decided to take an art class for the heck of it. Things got a bit more serious when she developed a crush on the nude model. [College Student AU/Art student AU]


**A/N:** I don't own Naruto.

* * *

"Your proportions are good," Akasuna-Sensei began, but Sakura knew it was just to soften the blow of whatever was next to come. "But you're not actually drawing what you're looking at. You're seeing him a bit from the side. Not a perfect frontal view." The redheaded teacher pulled out a sheet of tracing paper and a 4B graphite pencil. Placing the tracing paper over the image, he began to draw over Sakura's picture idly, no sense of emotion on his face. A curve over the drawing's hips and thigh redirected the image, making whatever made the picture _off_ look so much better.

"I know you're pre-med, but you can still draw things proportionally. You have some good things going on here. You're holding yourself back. Just relax."

"Okay, Akasuna-Sensei…" Her eyes drifted back to the model. He was perfect in every way. How was she even supposed to focus on drawing him when all she could do was stare at his immense beauty?

Sakura remembered when he walked into her art class four weeks ago. Sakura had needed to take the class as a liberal art requirement, an elective in essence, and decided the class would help her when she would need to take anatomy later in the year. Her advisor recommended ARTS 212. One of the sections had an opening, and the class did not require a prerequisite. Sakura decided that a relaxing drawing class may be a good break from all her science and math classes.

She should have known better really. As the only non-art student in the class, she stuck out like a sore thumb. Most of the students taking the course were either majoring or minoring in Art. And here was Sakura, taking the class for fun with no talent. Nonetheless, she still showed up to class, despite the looks of pity she received when showing her artwork.

"Do not comment on the model's physical appearance," Akasuna-Sensei said on syllabus day, eyeing the class. "Do not talk to the model while they are working. Do not sexualize the model. The goal of this class is to capture the human form in a realistic way. The model will be nude to help with this, but this is not a sexual class. Nudity is not inherently sexual, and if you do anything to make the model uncomfortable, you will be asked to leave."

A kid named Sai sat next to Sakura, nudged her gently to grab her attention, and then proceeded to warn her against sexualizing the model. At first Sakura was put off by his bold behavior, however she realized as class progressed that his sense of humor was… different, and that he meant no ill will from his words.

Within the next few weeks as they witnessed model after model: a curvy model named Temari, a thin model named Gaara, a buff model named Lee. One model even showed up with his dog, and the big white beast sat patiently to the side as he waited for his master (Sakura was scolded that day for drawing both the model and his dog. Apparently, that was not the point of the class). So many beautiful models, and yet none could compare with today's model.

Sasuke.

He walked into class wearing a black silk robe. Akasuna-sensei greeted him with a small smile and began to position the lighting in the room. Sakura felt her breath stop as he walked throughout the room.

At this point in time, Sakura had gotten used to models walking naked into the room. After the initial shock of a naked person within ten feet of her drawing easel, Sakura quickly got used to the form in front of her. The models went from being naked to being statues so quickly. She was surprised with herself how normal she felt, how normal it was for the model to be nude. And true to his word, Akasuna-Sensei was right; there was nothing sexual about being naked.

But Sexual attraction and _attraction_ seemed to have a thick line.

How embarrassed she felt. How could she be attracted to this stranger? She had never been attracted to a single person like this before. His beautiful face, and perfect body, did not help. Dark, mysterious eyes matched by beautiful raven colored hair. He was the epitome of male perfection, tall and toned, with just the right amount of muscle. Her heart pounded in her chest and her face fell pink as her hair when he looked at her. There was a moment where their eyes met, and as strange as it was, Sakura felt like she knew him. His face did not even change expression as he began to look at all the other students in the room.

Somehow, Sakura ended up drawing next to that kid Sai. He was the best artist in class by far. He was always very polite about everyone's art, and so humble about his own. Of course, she would end up by him. Of course, on this day where she could not focus on her drawing, her terrible piece would be next to the best piece in class. Of course.

"You should add more black here," Sai said to her suddenly. Hushed voice bringing her back to reality. "Your piece doesn't have much variation in tone."

"You're right," she murmured. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Sai only smiled as he turned back to the model, capturing his form perfectly. Taking both Akasuna-Sensei and Sai's feedback in mind, Sakura began quickly altering her image so it looked more believable. She was surprised by how much those small changes made a difference. She turned back to the model to see what else needed to be done. She lost her breath as she made eye contact with Sasuke. Mind blank, she wondered how she was going to get out of this class alive with his intense stare melting her to jello. She subtly bit her lip and looked away from his eyes, only to start shading in the details of his iliac crest and abdomen.

* * *

Three weeks. Two meetings per weeks. A total of six times. Six times in a _row_ , Sasuke modeled for the class. He was there for the day on foreshortening. He was there for the days spent on portraits. He was there for the days on muscles. _Boy was he there for muscle day._

For six consecutive class days, he was there. Just as breathtakingly attractive as the last. She began to notice him on campus. A school of over fifteen thousand students and yet somehow, she would spot him around campus. Sakura would always try to hide, as not to initiate conversation with the adonis. One time she accidentally ran into him, a red-haired girl with him.

"Um, sorry," Sakura stammered as she quite literally nearly bumped into him. She had managed to slam her little head into his broad chest. He didn't even flinch.

"Hello…" He murmured, intense black eyes captivating her own. Sakura loss her breath. "You're in one of the drawing classes…"

"Oh you've seen Sasuke-Kun model!" chirped the red haired girl off to the side. "I'm a model too! We model together quite a lot!"

"Not that often," Sasuke replied. Sakura smiled at the red headed girl.

"Karin-San, right? I think you've modeled for my class once."

"Probably," she grinned back. "I don't think I remember you though." A silence fell over the three until Sasuke looked off to the side and motioned towards Karin.

"We have to get to sculpting class…" he stated flatly. Karin nodded and gave Sakura a slight wave.

"Nice meeting you!"

"Likewise," Sakura said as she turned back to Sasuke. He was already walking away from the conversation. Despite the rudeness of his actions, Sakura found her thoughts walking away with him.

Since then, class with Sasuke has been easier, but still not easy. According to Akasuna-Sensei, her work was improving tremendously. Sometimes she would make things and wonder how she drew a piece or two. They didn't look like something she was capable of. Sure, she was far from perfect, but some of the stuff she created was amazing. And then there was the problem of Sasuke.

"Sasuke-San, can you hold that pose?" Akasuna-Sensei asked. Sasuke was posed as if he was throwing a ball. The black haired adonis only nodded. Akasuna-Sensei nodded back. "Three minutes to draw this pose everyone. Use the charcoal stick to mass in those dark values!"

Sakura rushed to get Sasuke's form onto the newsprint paper. After about twenty minutes of Sasuke in different gestures, Sakura had many images on her paper. Every time their eyes met a warm feeling ran over her. The feeling made her want to look away. She was embarrassed to see him and she did not understand why. There was something about his gaze that turned her into mess. If anything, those brief moments where they were talking gave her more control over her sense of self. Why was she like this?

He was hot.

Well, of course. But why else? She didn't even know anything about him. His personality, his interests, his hobbies. How could she melt into a puddle for a man that she didn't even know? Even with acknowledgment of those glorious abs.

Sai reached out towards Sakura, asking her to check his proportions. They were perfect. As always. Sai gave a her a small awkward smile, and then went off to give her some drawing advice as well. She turned to look at Sasuke again.

Their eyes met again and Sakura felt her stomach knot in her abdomen. A sound from the side of the room caught their attention as Sakura looked to see Akasuna-sensei answering the normally locked door. He smiled and began talking with whomever was there. Sakura turned her eyes back to Sasuke. He raised his eyebrows at her. She shrugged and gave him a half smile. His eyes shifted to the side, though he could not see what was going on. He looked back at her and she mouthed the word "teacher" at him. A look of understanding washed over his face and gave her a slight nod and a small smile.

Since that day, Sakura could not get Sasuke out of her head. It wasn't as if they had spoken to each other a lot, and yet she was plagued with thoughts of him. When he didn't show up to model, she was sad that he wasn't there. When he did show up, they would never verbally communicate. All they would do is share small smiles and communicate through facial expressions about poses and her piece. She did not understand why she was so attracted to him.

* * *

One day, he didn't show up to model.

No big deal. She felt a bit silly, simply because she made a larger effort to do her makeup well that day, but she was otherwise unfazed. Akasuna-Sensei announced that the model for that day, Gaara would be modeling the next class as well. A little bit of a disappointment admittedly. She showed up for the next class and Akasuna-Sensei went on to explain the final project for the course.

"We'll be working on two figures and making a story with them," he began. "Gaara and a female model will be doing the poses. You'll have three classes to make your composition. I would prefer it be on higher quality paper."

Sakura felt her heart sink.

This meant Sasuke wouldn't be modeling for the classes anymore. She didn't want that. She wanted to keep seeing him regularly. Even if nothing came from her stupid little crush, she wanted to see him. Him and his beautiful black eyes. She bit her lip as she thought about everything. How she didn't know Sasuke's last name, or anything about him really. How she couldn't contact him if she wanted. How even if she were to contact him, it would be weird! It's not as if she had a real conversation with the adonis!

As class continued, she realized it was a distinct possibility that she may never see or meet Sasuke again. It's not as if she were an art student. She started packing up her things, as did the rest of the class. Akasuna-Sensei announced that it was Sakura's turn to clean up the room, so she grabbed a broom while the rest of the students left. As she was sweeping, Akasuna-Sensei set up an easel. Confused, Sakura kept sweeping until the floor was clean. She gathered her stuff, bid goodbye to the red-head and was about to leave until he said something.

"Could you come here for bit?" he asked. She walked over to, concerned for what this is about.

"Do you remember that portrait of Temari we had you draw?"

"Of course."

"It was one of the best in class."

"Oh, uh, thank you." Sakura was confused. All of her past works were returned with harsh criticism. To be blunt, Akasuna-sensei seemed to hate everything Sakura drew. Him saying the portrait she drew was anything other than bad came as a surprise to Sakura.

"The mouth was three dimensional, the eyes were bright, and that nose was perfect. The was _her_ nose. Would it be alright if I featured it in the student showcase?"

"Oh," a blush crept onto her face. "Do you really think it's that good?"

"I wouldn't ask otherwise."

"Sure," she smiled. The door opened, and in walked Deidara-Sensei. He gently waved at the two, and then went on to set up his own easel. "Why is Deidara-Sensei here?"

"Every Wednesday after our class we have a model come in. It's available for students if you'd like to come in and draw tonight," said Akasuna-Sensei.

"Oh no, that's okay. It's already nine, and I have an exam tomorrow in organic chemistry." Akasuna-Sensei smiled, and Sakura moved to leave. As she got to the door, it opened to reveal none other than the man captivating her thoughts. Beautiful black eyes, soft looking lips, thick black hair.

Sasuke.

He gave her a small smile. She returned it.

* * *

"Ask for his number!" Ino nearly shouted. She paused from putting her makeup on for a second to look back at the pink-haired girl. "He's totally into you!"

"That's insane. He and I haven't even had a real conversation," Sakura replied.

"That's because you get shy with boys you like," Ino said with a scoff. She started applying her eyeliner as Sakura shimmied into a tight pair of black jeans and a red crop top. The two roommates were preparing for their weekly night out dancing. Girls night out was a ritual the two always made time for.

"Next time you see him, ask for his number! I'm tired of listening to this story and hearing about how he smiled at you."

"I don't think I'm going to see him again. There's only three classes left and my professor booked this other guy to model for all three classes."

"You said he modeled for those after class sessions, right? Why can't you stay for that?"

"I have an 8 AM the next morning. If I do see him again, it'll be in passing."

"Wait for him, ask for his number. Come on, Sakura! You're a pretty girl! Ask him out! Buy him coffee for crying out loud! The man's let you see him naked!"

"Nooooo," Sakura cried. Her cheeks were bright red. "I've already rationalized how I'll live if I never talk to him again."

"Dammit Sakura!" Ino groaned as she slipped into a tight purple dress. "You're gonna' end up an old cat lady."

"I'm only twenty-one. I'm far away from being an old cat woman."

"Look, if you're gonna' just be hung up on this guy, I'm not dancing with you at the club tonight. I'm gonna find a hot guy, grind on him, and take him home so I can forget about this whole model business." Ino popped her hip and gave Sakura an annoyed look. Sakura sighed and started to apply some pink liquid lipstick.

"Fine. No Sasuke talk."

Ino and Sakura made their way at the club, meeting Hinata and Tenten at the entrance. The four girls entered the building and made their way to the dance floor. For the first hour, the four girls just danced together, sang along to the music, and smiled at one another. Sakura did have fun dancing with the girls to some upbeat club music, but it would have been a lie to say she wasn't thinking of Sasuke. A part of her fantasized about the idea of him being at the same club as her, asking her for a dance, and the two being so disgustingly into one another it made her friends gag. However, the chance of that happening was small, and just a dream.

Ino downed another shot as Hinata and Tenten grabbed some water from the bar. Sakura smiled politely as the bartender handed her the vodka cranberry she ordered. As Sakura squeezed the lime into her drink and took a sip, she felt a strong-arm drape itself on her shoulders. Sakura looked up at the mysterious person, prepared to smack a creep in the face, only to realize it was her friend Naruto.

Sakura had known Naruto for years. They didn't go to the same elementary school, nor were their parents friends. The two had met ramen shop as children, and somehow managed to become friends. Admittedly, the two lived in pretty much separate spheres up until they decided to attend university together. Sakura lived on the poorer side of town, where as Naruto lived with all the other children of wealthy politicians. Naruto decided at the last minute he wanted to study law, surprising not only Sakura but his parents. Long story short, they ended up attending the same school.

"Naruto!" She exclaimed as she went to hug him.

"Hi Sakura-Chan!" He grinned, his eyes turned towards Hinata blushing in the corner. "Who's your friend?"

"Oh that's Hinata-Chan," Sakura explained, a smile on her face as she looked between the two. "Isn't she the cutest? Hard to believe she's single."

"No kidding?" Naruto asked, face with an expression Sakura found almost unreadable.

"What brings you here, Naruto?"

"Boys night. Shikamaru, Kiba, and Choji all came out. We're waiting on a few other friends. Saw you and thought I'd say hi," he explained, eyes still stuck on the bashful girl from before. Sakura maneuvered out from under his arm.

"Why don't you ask Hinata-Chan to dance? She's a shy girl, so nothing too ballsy."

As the night continued, Sakura found herself a little drunk, with Ino who was very drunk. Tenten offered to drive the two home, as Hinata suddenly found herself wrapped up with Naruto. Normally Sakura would never leave one of her girl friends alone at a club with a man she just met. However seeing as Sakura knew Naruto, and seeing as Hinata's cousin showed up at some point refusing to take his eyes off of Naruto, Sakura figured Hinata would make it home okay. In fact, the purple haired girl continuously assured the others she would be fine with Naruto.

As the three girls left the club, Sakura could have sworn she saw a tall, dark, handsome man walk past her. Could it have been Sasuke? Surely not. What are the chances he would show up to a place like this? It had to be her own imagination wanting to see the handsome man. It had to be.

* * *

Sakura showed up to art class slightly sad. Sasuke would not be there. Her heart laid itself into her stomach at the thought of never seeing him again. Three classes left to work on the final composition, and he would not be at any of them.

As she stepped into the room, her heart skipped a beat.

Her stomach was suddenly accommodating butterflies.

Her legs turned to jello.

Sasuke gave her a small smile and gave her a small wave.

He was there! He was in class! Sakura took note of his basketball shorts and tank top. Was he there to model? But Gaara was supposed to model! Her eyes scanned the room looking for another model. The red haired girl was there, Karin. She wore a tank top and some shorts as well, her hair tied into a low ponytail. Were the two modeling together?!

Sakura felt a smile creep up on her face at the idea. She was able to see him! She was able to see him again! And he was assured to be there for another three classes!

She set up her drawing easel as Akasuna-Sensei began to arrange lighting. Glancing up at him, Sakura kept catching Sasuke's eyes. The butterflies in her stomach only began to flutter uncontrollably. He gave her a small smile, only to break the eye contact as Akasuna-Sensei began to pose Karin and Sasuke. Sakura's smile fell from her face.

Akasuna-sensei started the two models in a poses where their chests were nearly touching, hands together, legs extended to form a circle. They were close. So close to one another. Sakura felt something negative run through her. She knew she had no right to feel jealous. Not only was this Sasuke's job, but it was not as if she was dating Sasuke. Sasuke wasn't hers, just like she wasn't his. She didn't like this feeling.

Sai set up his easel next to her again. He had missed the last few class sessions, and it had been a while since the two spoke.

"How have you been?" Sakura asked.

"Well," said Sai with a smile. "My brother ended up with some sort of STI, so went home to take care of him." His smiles were always a little awkward. Some of Sakura's interactions with Sai told Sakura that he wasn't the most socially or emotionally adept. However, he was still a nice person, just an odd one.

Throughout the rest of class, Akasuna-Sensei positioned them in multiple different poses. Some were more intimate than others. Karin talked to Sasuke a lot throughout the poses. Not only did it get on Sakura's nerves because she kept moving her face as Sakura tried to draw the red head, but that bad feeling in gut only grew. Every time Karin smiled or laughed, Sakura felt her innards twist into a ball. She did not like this feeling.

At one point during the break, Sasuke walked up to Sakura. He smiled at her and looked at the piece she was drawing.

"This is good," Sasuke commented.

"Thank you," she blushed. Sasuke walked away.

Sakura didn't understand why every interaction between the two felt so awkward. Every time she spoke to him, she felt the conversation just ended. As she watched him look at the other student's drawings. Karin caught Sakura's attention as the girl walked over. She gave her a small smile, and looked at Sakura's piece.

"It's good," she smiled. "I just might try to define the figure with darker marks."

"Oh thanks," Sakura smiled. "I'm not really an art student… so all of my work is mediocre at best."

"I wouldn't say that," Karin replied. "It looks good. I just think it could look even better with some touch ups here and there."

Karin and Sasuke went back up into their poses. They talked quietly amongst one another and smiled at each other. Sakura felt a pull in her stomach everytime. It would only begin to disappear when Sasuke would shift his gaze slightly towards her, and give her that small, charming smile. When class finally ended, Sakura quickly gathered her stuff. Sasuke walked up to her as she did.

"Sasuke-Kun?" she questioned.  
"I'm waiting on Karin to change," he explained. She nodded in understanding.

"So," she said barely above a whisper. Sasuke leaned in to hear her. "Is modeling a good job?"

"It's nice," he said. Sakura felt heat rise to her face. "Pays well."

"Enough to pay the bills?"

"What?"

"Enough to pay the bills?" she repeated, although a bit louder.

"Not enough hours," he said, then lightly shrugged his shoulders. He looked off towards the changing room where Karin was leaving. "It does with my other job."

"Other job?" She asked.

"I am lifeguard at the school gym," he explained, gathering his clothes and heading to change. Sakura's mind went blank. A lifeguard. As in, literally the only job sexier than a modeling position? This guy was trying to kill her.

Sakura quickly gathered her things and left the room before he could return.

* * *

"It was embarrassing Ino!" Sakura cried. "He told me he was a lifeguard and I couldn't talk to him anymore! He could barely hear me."

"A lifeguard?" Ino said in shock. "Is this guy an astronaut too?"

"I can't bare it," Sakura groaned as she sprawled across the couch. "I won't survive this next class."

"You have to! You have to survive it so you can at least get his number!"

"He probably doesn't even want it!"

"What if he does?"

"How would you know that Ino?"

"Sakura, you're the one who told me he makes no effort to talk to anyone else in class aside from you and the prof!"

"He talks to the female model too..."

"They're coworkers! Of course, they talk!"

"I just," Sakura paused. "I rather not have to be embarrassingly rejected and see him again. What if I make him uncomfortable? You forget, I've seen him naked! What if he thinks I've been sexualizing him?"

"Then he'll think he has a chance to sleep with you!"

"INO!"

"I'm serious Sakura! You need to ask him out already!"

Sakura got up from the living room couch and walked over to the adjoining kitchen. Ino followed the pinkette into the room as Sakura began to boil some water and take down tea cups. Ino gave the girl a look and Sakura looked off in the distance as the kettle began to boil.

"Okay," Sakura said.

"Okay?" Asked Ino.

"I'll ask for his number," said Sakura. "On the last class. That way if it makes him uncomfortable or if he rejects me, I won't see him again."

Ino looked at Sakura for a moment, watching as the kettle began to scream. Sakura pour the hot water into the two cups of tea. She handed one cup to Ino and said nothing as she began to sip her tea. She gave Ino a shy smile, and Ino gave Sakura a grin.

"I'm holding you to it," Ino said.

* * *

"It looks good," said Sasuke as he peered over at Sakura's piece. Their eyes met for a second.

"Thank you," Sakura replied quite, a blush on her cheeks. Sasuke gave her a small smile and walked away. Sakura felt her stomach twist into a knot. The anticipation and anxiety was killing her. Today was the day. She was going to ask him for his number today. Or at least, she hopes so. The entire class she was going back and forth on whether or not she should. He was so hard to read. He seemed interested... But maybe he was a nice guy? She didn't know him well enough to be able to tell.

Sasuke gave her a small smile and wave as he got back onto the model stand. Sakura waved back at him. Sai who was drawing next to Sakura looked confused before turning to Sakura.

"Why is he waving at me?" he asked her. "You think he's gay?"

"I think he's waving at me, Sai," said Sakura.

"Oh," said Sai.

Class came to an end. Drawing easels were being put away. The female model went to go change her clothes. Sasuke walked up to Sakura. She felt her breath stop, once again.

He gave her a small smile. Sakura returned it.

"So, this is the last class," said Sakura with a sense of boldness normally lost in Sasuke's presence.

"Aah," Sasuke replied. "It's been nice."

"Yeah," Sakura replied. Sasuke smiled and held up his hand, Sakura gave him a small high-five.

Karin finished changing, and Sasuke turned to leave. As he walked away, Sakura felt uncomfortable.

No. She couldn't let it end like this.

She just could not let it end like this.

Sakura reached out touch his shoulder. He looked back at her. She looked up at him. Her mind went blank and she could no longer be held accountable for her actions.

"Do you want my number?" she asked. Sasuke paused.

"Sure."

The two scrambled to find a piece of paper and a pen. Sasuke looked at her waiting as Sakura looked at her waiting.

"Oh, do you want to do it?" he asked.

"Oh uh, yeah," Sakura replied. He handed her the pen and she wrote down her name and number. She thought her handwriting never looked worse. She never felt so surreal. Never had her heart beat so fast.

* * *

"What if I wrote my wrong phone number?" cried Sakura from the floor of her living room.

"Sakura, I highly doubt that. Come on, he's still within the window," replied Tenten from the couch. A green bowl of popcorn rested in the brunette's lap. Hinata sat beside Tenten, working on her calculus homework.

"What window?" Hinata asked.

"The three-day window," Ino explained as she entered the room with some mixed drinks on a tray. "Sakura gave him her number about two days and twenty hours ago. He's still within the three-day window."

"Nobody does that kind of thing, Ino," groaned Sakura from the floor. "Also, why are you counting the hours?"

"Because you need to see it hasn't really been all that time," Ino replied as she handed Tenten and Hinata their drinks. "Sakura, I don't know why you're freaking out about this. He wouldn't have taken your number if he wasn't interested."

"What if he just felt too awkward to say no?"

"Something tells me that's not it."

"But you don't know!" Sakura cried. She rolled over onto her stomach, and laid like a log. Hinata, putting aside her homework, moved towards the pinkette and began to rub Sakura's shoulders comfortingly.

"It's gonna be okay. You have school to worry about anyway," said Hinata.

"Hinata… you're right," Sakura sighed. She moved to lay on her side and looked up the Hyuuga. "I have to worry about school… A scholarship to keep… parents to take care of once I've become an established doctor…"

"I don't even wanna' think about school," said Tenten. She smiled and as she drank the drink Ino prepared. She reached for the TV remote and began to channel surf. "I have so many finals. Why don't we put on a bad movie to forget about this super-hot model and the crushing weight of school?"

"I love that idea," Ino grinned.

Five hours later, the girls found themselves enthralled in a low-quality shark movie. They had started with a bad romantic comedy. Then they ended up watching a campy horror film, featuring a lot of blood. Tenten had been the one to suggest an American shark film about a ghost shark in the mountains. The girls almost couldn't stand how bad the movie was. All of these movies did a pretty good job at helping Tenten forget about finals and Sakura forget about a certain dark-haired model. Or at least, they did until Sakura received a text message.

 _Hey Sakura. This is Sasuke._

"Oh my god!" cried Sakura, gaining the attention of the girls. "He texted me!"

The girls gathered around Sakura's phone as she showed them the text message. She tried to stop a goofy smile from forming on her face. Alas, it was still forming. Ino nudged her shoulder and mentioned something about going an hour over three days or something like that. Sakura did not care. She was on cloud nine. As silly as this was, there was something exciting about Sasuke texting her.

Sakura had never been this excited about a guy. Sure, she had some intense crushes when she was younger; Sakura even had a couple of relationships in more recent years. However, she'd never taken interest in someone the way she did in this model. There was something about him. Something that felt so familiar, so comforting, so right!

 _Hey! How are you?_ She texted back. Ino teased her for the smile on Sakura's face.

* * *

Sakura decided to wait three days. Sasuke had waited three days to text her, she should wait three days. Give it three days, and then she'd ask him for coffee. Besides, she had finals to worry about.

Officially, there were no classes on Tuesday (day two). The University called it a redefined day. However, Akasuna-sensei decided to hold an optional class for students to come work on their final projects. The final project for his class was due well before finals, much to Sakura's delight. It gave her plenty of time to focus on her other finals. She just had to finish the project for ARTS 212.

Meaning that on Tuesday, Sakura found herself in class. Charcoal in hand, she was just adding the last touch ups to her final project. Sakura was pretty proud of this particular piece. She felt like it was some of her best work all semester. She loved it. She loved what she drew.

"It looks really good," came a female voice. Sakura looked over to find Karin. Behind her was a drawing easel with Karin's red bag leaning against the base. The red-head gave Sakura a sweet smile.

"Thank you," said Sakura. She gave Karin her own smile.

"Are you an Art minor? I know you said you weren't really a major."

"Oh no!" Sakura replied with a giggle. "I'm pre-med. I'm just taking this class to some other credit… What about you?"

"I am," Karin replied. "I'm double majoring. Art and criminal justice."

"Oh wow! That's impressive," said Sakura.

"Eh, it's… busy. But at least it's not pre-med." The two laughed.

"So, what made you decide to be a model?"

"It was easy money. Plus, it built up my body confidence a lot. I did a lot of ballet as a kid, and it kind of messed with my self-image… why? Would you wanna' start? You have a pretty good frame?"

"Oh, I don't think I'd be a good model," replied Sakura, her face going pink.

"Neither did Sasuke before I convinced him."

"You were the one who convinced him? You guys were friends before?"

"Classmates. He was in a lot of the same classes as me. He's studying criminal justice."

"Oh, I didn't know that."

"I mean, how would you?"

"He was kind of vague about what he studies when I texted him."

"I'm sorry, _what?_ " Karin's face fell and became concerned. Sakura felt her heart race. "Sasuke-kun… he gave you his number?" Asked Karin.

"I mean, I gave him mine."

"But he took it?" Karin asked. Her voice serious.

"I mean… yeah."

Sakura watched as Karin's face twisted in something between anger and confusion. Karin took a deep breath, and met Sakura's eyes.

"He shouldn't have done that," Karin said quickly.

"Why?" Asked Sakura. Her heart falling into her stomach.

"Because Sasuke has a girlfriend."

* * *

"I'm cutting you off," Ino said. Sakura almost couldn't hear her friend through the loud music of the club. Sakura pushed Ino away and kept drinking her drink. She was five shots and two cocktails into trying to drink her sorrows away. Naruto walked over, Hinata under his arm, and reached for Sakura's drink as well.

"Sakura-chan, you're done! You've had enough!"

"No!" cried the drunk pinkette. She stood up from her barstool, almost stumbling.

"Why are you so upset anyway?" asked Naruto.

"A boy in her art class," explained Hinata.

"C'mon let's dance," Ino said, dragging the drunk pinkette to the dancefloor. Sakura sobered up enough to walk somewhat well, and the two made their way to where Tenten was dancing. Naruto and Hinata joined them, and Sakura closed her eyes and tried to feel the beat of the song. Sakura wanted to lose herself in the music if she couldn't lose herself in the alcohol.

Sakura felt somewhat sick however.

Maybe it was the heat of the crowd not mixing with the alcohol. Or perhaps it was the fact she had had way too much alcohol. Either way, Sakura needed out of the crowd. She started to maneuver through the crowd, slapping the hands a few men who decided they had the right to touch her, and found her way out to the smoking section of the bar. The chilly night air helped her a lot. The lack of people helped her a lot. She leaned over the gated, separating the bar from the outside street.

"Are you okay?" came a monotone, cool voice.

She looked to see none other than the model responsible for her drinking. She frowned at him.

"I… I shouldn't have given you my number," her words slurred. He raised one eyebrow at her, but his expression remained the same.

"I should have known… a guy like you. So gorgeous. Had to be a playboy."

Both of Sasuke's brows furrowed in confusion. Sakura would have normally told a guy off for playing with someone's heart like that. Sober or drunk. However, she found herself unable to engage with the criminal justice student, as she felt all the alcohol she had just drank leave her stomach.

As she threw up over the railing, the first thing she noticed was how easy it was. Normally throwing up felt gross, and painful. Perhaps she drank so much that it didn't hurt anymore. She was thankful it didn't hurt to throw up. It just felt good.

The second thing she noticed was her medium length locks being pulled away from her face, and a hand rubbing comforting circles on her back. Sasuke was trying to soothe her as she vomited the content of her stomach. If she were sober, she may have felt embarrassed. Being drunk just left her angry. Still angry with this dark haired Adonis. When she felt she was done, she looked up at Sasuke with a glare.

"Better?"

"Why?"

"Hm?"

"Why did you take my number?"

"Hn." He didn't say anything more. Just turned his gaze away for her to look off into the distance. He looked so mysterious as he leaned back against the gate. Sakura cursed herself for still being attracted to him. She closed her eyes and heard footsteps come up from behind.

"Sakura-chan!"

Sakura looked over her shoulder to find Naruto looking worriedly at her. The blond's blue eyes turned to Sasuke. He gave the dark-haired man a toothy grin.

"Hey Teme."

"Dobe."

Drunk Sakura was fairly confused. Did these two… know each other?

"Hey Teme… are you taking care of my Sakura-Chan?"

"Your Sakura-Chan?" asked Sasuke with a raised brow. "How did you two meet?"

"We've been friends for years. How did you guys meet?"

"Art class."

"But wait, you're not an art student…. Oh my god! You modeled for her class!" shouted Naruto, his face pale. "Oh my god! Sakura's seen you naked!"

Sakura felt more contents of her stomach come up. It hurt more this time. She had nothing left in her stomach, and yet it kept trying to empty itself.

"Ew," said Naruto as he walked up to Sakura and helped her stand up straight. "Okay. I'm taking you home."

"No!" cried Sakura. "Go to Hinata! Get Ino! She'll take me home."

Naruto rolled his eyes and looked at Sasuke. Sasuke gave him a small nod and Naruto left to go look for Ino. As he walked away, Sasuke turned his dark eyes back to Sakura. He reached out to her to brush her hair out of her face as she was throwing up. Their eyes met again as she leaned over the rail. There was something familiar about this eye contact. Sakura felt her heartbeat quicken and she frowned. No. This guy has a girlfriend. She had to get over this.

"You can leave me alone. Naruto is coming back with my roommate."  
"I'll wait."

"I'll be fine for a few minutes."

"I don't want to go inside," said Sasuke. "It's loud."

"Yeah…" said drunk Sakura with a small laugh as she turned away from him. "This doesn't seem like your kind of place…. Why are you here?"

"A few friends." He kept his gaze on her. "Why did you call me a playboy?"

Sakura scoffed at him. Ino and Naruto finally walked up to Sakura. Before she knew it, Ino was under her arm, half carrying her out. The blonde cast a look at Sasuke, and with a knowing frown led Sakura out. Sakura heard Sasuke's voice as she was led away. She supposed he was talking to Naruto about something. Even in her drunken state, she knew this would not be her last interaction with Sasuke.

* * *

The morning after seeing Sasuke at the club had been hard. Firstly, she woke up with an intense hangover. Secondly, she felt something wrong in her stomach. Seeing Sasuke was terrible. She made a fool of herself. Between drinking herself silly and being angry with Sasuke and still being attracted to Sasuke, she felt like an absolute fool. Regardless, it was a Saturday morning, and she had finals to study for.

Eventually, finals were over, grades were yet to be posted, and Sakura just wanted to forget about everything before heading home to her parents for the winter holiday. Sakura found herself at the student showcase. Akasuna-sensei had submitted her portrait of Temari. Akasuna-sensei encouraged her to go see her work hanging in a gallery setting. Her drawing was hanging in a cheap, black frame inside of the Liberal Arts building. Still, something felt very fanciful about seeing something she made hanging in a gallery.

"It looks good," came a familiar voice. Somehow too familiar.

She looked over her shoulder to find Sasuke standing behind her. He was dressed in pair of dark jeans, a gray cardigan, and a black beanie tucked over the back of his spiky hair. He walked closer to stand beside her before looking at the piece again.

"I didn't know how good you are with portraits, Sakura."

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"That idiot... I mean," he paused. "Naruto told me you'd be here."

"How do you know Naruto?" Sakura asked, tugging at the ends of her pink locks.

"Our parents are friends. We grew up together."

"Kushina and Minato aren't friends with just anyone," Sakura murmured. Her eyes widened in realization. The dark hair and eyes. "I never met you. I spent so much time with Naruto, and I didn't even know about you."

"We aren't necessarily friends… he likes to call me his rival."

"... Uchiha-san?"

"Hm," he responded with a slight nod. The two sat in silence for a moment. Sakura felt the awkward tension between the two of them. She was still embarrassed from the last time she saw him. The two hadn't talked since that night. Unfortunately, Sakura recalled the events of that night perfectly fine. Meaning that in her memory, if Uchiha Sasuke seemed sober, he more than likely was. Meaning that Uchiha Sasuke, more than likely, recalled the events of that night oh so vividly. Sakura did not feel very happy about that.

"Naruto told me you were drunk because of me," Sasuke said suddenly. An image of Sakura telling Naruto about the playboy model in her art class before she had drunken herself silly flashed before her. Her cheeks flushed pink for a moment.

"Who said I had a girlfriend?"

"Karin," Sakura murmured. "I just… you shouldn't have taken my number if you have a girlfriend."

" _I don't."_

"... What?"

Sakura's eyes widened and she looked at Sasuke with confusion.

"Karin… does things that make no sense," Sasuke explained. His eyes stared directly into hers. "She tries to scare girls away from me."

"Oh... oh…" Sakura replied. Her face was red. "Wait. How do I know you're telling me the truth?"

"Naruto wouldn't have told me where to find you if I was dating someone else."

It was hard to argue with that logic. Sakura knew Naruto very well, and apparently Sasuke did too, because he was right. Naruto wouldn't have helped Sasuke at all if Sasuke truly was in a relationship with someone else. It would have hurt Sakura more and hurt whoever the girlfriend was. She looked away from Sasuke, and he reached out for her hand. He regained her attention, and yet the two said nothing. There was something so familiar about his gaze. Almost like they had known each other well in another life.

"I guess it's hard for me to have known," Sakura said barely above a whisper. "We don't know each other very well."

"I know," replied Sasuke, his lips forming a small smirk. "That's why I gave you my number."

Sakura smiled back, the blush ever apparent on her face. She wondered briefly where to go from here. She had taken Karin's words at face value. After all, she had no reason to believe that Karin would lie to her. She had not even considered the idea of Karin's words being false. Where does that leave them now?

"So…" she said to him. "Where do we go from here?"

Sasuke didn't say anything. He looked over his shoulder casually, then back at her.

"Coffee?"

"When?"

"Now?"

There was something playful in his eyes. She let a small laugh fall from her mouth.

"I left some drawings in the art room. I need to grab those, and then we can go."

"Alright."

The two ended up in their usual spot, and Sakura smiled as she remembered the first time they met there. Grabbing her supplies from the back, she made her back to Sasuke who did not say much. He opened the door for her and let it shut behind them as Sakura asked which coffee shop they should visit.

The semester was over. The door was closed.


End file.
